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Kingdom of the Baltic
The Kingdom of the Baltic(Lithuanian: Baltijos Karalystė, Latvian: Valstību Baltijas, Estonian: Kuningriigi Balti, German: Königreich der Ostsee, Russian: Королевство Балтийского(tr. Korolevstvo Baltiyskogo), Finnish: Kuningaskunnan Itämeren, Belarussian:'' 'Каралеўства Балтыйскага(tr. Karalieŭstva Baltyjskaha)) is a kingdom in the Baltic region consisting of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Northern Belarus. The Kingdom was founded in 1923 following the collapse of the USSR, intended to serve as a German buffer state/puppet state near the Soviet Union. The move was largely supported not only by many Baltic Germans but also by non-Germans in the country, which at the time did not include Belarus. In order to ensure loyalty, the German government set up Duke of Wurttemburg-Urach William Charles as King of the Baltic. In 1925 the Baltic and Ukraine staged a joint invasion of Belarus, dividing the third state between theirs. In 1928, William Charles died and his son William Albert was declared King. History Under Russia/the USSR As a Kingdom Territory The Kingdom is divided into 9 cantons, these being North Prussia(capital Klaipeda, formerly Memel), Northern Lithuania(capital Kaunas), Southern Lithuania(captial Alytus), Courland and Semigallia(capital Ventspils, formerly Windau), Latgale and Selia(capital Daugavpils), Vidzeme(capital Riga), Livonia(capital Tartu), Estonia(capital Tallinn), and Belarus(capital Minsk). In addition there is the Federal District, which comprises Vilnius. Major cities include Klaipeda, Vilnius, Kaunas, Siauliai, Alytus, Ventspils, Daugavpils, Liepaja, Riga, Jelgava, Tartu, Tallinn, Narva, Vitsyebsk, Minsk, Hrodna, and Mahilyow. Government The government consists of an executive branch headed by the King of the Baltic, currently King William Albert I/Jogaila II(in addition to his name as king he is given a regnal name as King of Lithuania), a hereditary ruler with total veto power. King William Charles(the first king of the country, who died in 1928) chose to create a new royal house as King, the House of Ausländer(formerly the House of Wurttemburg-Urach), representing his family's status as a foreigner in the Baltics. Leading the government are German aristocrats who have come over to ensure German rule. Premier among them among are the group of men who make the Royal Council, a panel of nine advisers to the king who also serve as the hereditary Lord-Governors of the cantons. They are Margrave of Meissen and Prince and Duke of Saxony Frederick Christian(Lord-Governor of Northern Lithuania), Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Adolf Frederick(Lord-Governor of Estonia), Prince of Prussia Charles Francis(a Hohenzollern, and Lord-Governor of North Prussia), Prince of Baden Maximillian(Lord-Governor of Southern Lithuania), Prince of Bavaria George Francis Leopold(Lord-Governor of Latgale and Selia), Prince of Hesse Frederick Charles(Lord-Governor of Courland and Semigallia), Crown Prince of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia Otto I, II, and I, (a member of the House of Hapsburg, and Lord-Governor of Livonia), Reichsstatthalder of Alsace-Lorraine Rudolf Schwander(Lord-Governor of Belarus), and Grand Duke of Oldenburg Nicholas Frederick(Lord-Governor of Vidzeme). In addition the King is chair of the Royal Council and Lord-Governor of the Federal District(Vilnius). Baltic Germans tend to dominate the upper levels of society and the military, even when non-aristocratic. The legislative branch consists of a weak Diet of 95 representatives(10 from each canton and 5 from the Federal District). There is also a Supreme Court. Military The military of the country, the Baltic Defense Forces, consists of the Baltic Land Army, Baltic Royal Navy, and Baltic Air Force.An increasingly large amount of gear is Baltic-manufactured and up-to-date, however the country still uses some gear it got from Scandinavia, Germany, Russia, or Belarus during the 1910s and 1920s. Economy Despite vast improvements caused by Soviet industrialization and German aid, the Baltic economy is still growing and fleshing out into a proper European economy. The currency of the Baltics is the crown, divided into ten marks, itself divided into ten cents. Diplomacy The Baltics typically get along well with Germany, Ukraine, and France, but relations with Scandinavia, Russia, and Turkey are abysmal.